Mar
19
Mar
18
Sonic the Hedgehog movie topped the box office on its opening weekend with $57 million in takings over its first three days, and an estimated $70 million for the long holiday weekend in the US. That’s a new record for a video game adaptated movie, breezing past the $54.3 million three day record set by Detective Pikachu last year.
After Sonic the Hedgehog movie and Birds of Prey came in second at the box-office over the weekend, but between Sonic and another gaming franchise, Detective Pikachu, the Pokémon movie held the record for the best opening weekend for a video-game movie adaptation.
A few months ago, fans of the Blue Blur were worried the movie would flop thanks to its frankly unsettling original design. After a first trailer was released in May, there was a huge fan backlash against the original design of Sonic, which was meant to be “realistic”. Thankfully for the film, it was delayed so that Sonic could be redesigned, this being revealed in November. Alongside the VFX team Sonic Mania Adventures director Tyson Hesse was brought in to bring the character’s design closer to the games.
The film was originally going to be produced by Sony, they sold the rights to Paramount. It stars James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, a former SFPD officer who has moved to Green Hills, Motana, who encounters the blue speedster, who is voiced by Ben Schwartz.
The Ryan Reynolds voiced Pikachu has made $433 million worldwide (£332 million), and Sonic has so-far made $100 million globally, so there’s still some way to go.
The post ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie’s box office record surpasses ‘Detective Pikachu’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
Space Jam 2 keeps pushing forward, with the ongoing cancellations and delays on many projects. The upcoming sequel starring LeBron James finished shooting back in September, and now the animators are busy adding in the performances of his costars Bugs, Daffy and the rest of the Looney Tunes.
Tony Bancroft is the Disney royalty and animator who created iconic characters such as Cogsworth for Beauty and the Beast, Pumbaa for The Lion King, Iago for Aladdin and Kronk for The Emperor’s New Groove. Bancroft also directed 1998’s Mulan and has now revealed his progress on Space Jam 2.
“I just started working on the lot at Warner Bros studio in January. Now working from home. Just one more Looney chapter in the making of Space Jam 2. Have Cintiq will travel. #animationyeah #wag #spacejam #looneytunes #coronavirus”, he tweeted.
Bancroft explained, he is now working from home in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sounds like post-production has not stalled for Space Jam 2 after all. It stars James as he groups up with the Looney Tunes, similar to Michael Jordan did within the ‘90s. He’ll be joined by different star basketball gamers together with Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard. Star Trek: Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced will play LeBron’s spouse and Don Cheadle will play an undisclosed function.
The sequel which will probably be directed by Ladies Journey and Evening Faculty filmmaker, Malcolm D. Lee is likely to be on schedule and hit theaters on 16 July 2021.
The post Disney royalty, Tony Bancroft working on ‘Space Jam 2’ animation appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
After the big haul at the Oscars, Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho will now be streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video from 27 March, the OTT platform announced.
Parasite’s popularity soared after this South Korean film won the Best Film, International Feature Film, Original Screenplay and Director award at the Academy Awards this year. The movie has also gathered a large fan following in India, becoming one of the most successful films of 2020.
As the world is witnessing a major lockdown due to the Covid-19 (CoronaVirus) pandemic, people are going for social distancing to contain the spread of the virus. Thus, this surprisingly seems to be the right time for Parasite to make their digital debut as video and entertainment consumptions have increased due to the quarantine period.
In order to appeal to a larger audience, Parasite will also be dubbed in Hindi as well. If rumours are to be believed, it will soon be adapted into a television series for HBO, which will also be made by Joon-Ho. The series is expected to be five to six episodes long.
Directed and written by Bong Joon-ho, Parasite revolves around the lives of a financially struggling family, the Kims, as they infiltrate a rich household.
The post ‘Parasite’ to stream on Amazon Prime Video from 27 March appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
ZED launches two flagship programmes to raise awareness about the planet; announces sales
Posted in: AnimationParis-based producer and distributor, ZED has announced to have completed two in-house primetime productions that tackle key environmental and scientific issues.
Titled, Prehistoric Worlds and Tsunamis: Facing a Global Threat, both these projects are in service to the environment conservation and planet.
Said ZED Sales and Distribution head Chloé Persyn-Preljocaj, “At this point in time, we believe it is essential to offer this type of content to the audience. We want to increase awareness about these topics, and give the public keys to understanding. That involves observing the past to predict the future and adapt. And this is precisely the angle chosen in these two programmes.”
The synopsis of the two productions goes like –
Prehistoric Worlds
Prehistoric Worlds
On the brink of a sixth mass extinction that the scientific community considers imminent – this time caused by mankind – this film gives us an interesting and powerful look at Man’s existence on the scale of the history of our planet. What did these prehistoric worlds look like? How did our distant ancestors manage to survive the five mass extinctions that the Earth has suffered, finally giving rise to the world we know today?
Combining CGI of ancient animal and plant life, VFX, and filming, Prehistoric Worlds is a 90’ 4K prime time co produced by ZED and CuriosityStream for France 5 and NHK which has just been completed.
Directed by Alexis de Favitski (Voyage of the continents), this stand-alone is accompanied by a 52-minute for the international market. This version has already been pre-sold to ZDFinfo, ServusTV, Planète+, Axess TV, AMC Network, ITI Neovision and FTV Prima.
Tsunamis: Facing a Global Threat
Natural disasters are occurring more and more frequently, and intensifying with climate change. In this confrontation between man and nature, there is a devastating phenomenon that nothing seems to be able to stop: Tsunamis. And in order to better predict and control tomorrow’s cataclysms, we must look to the past.
Using cutting edge science, CGIs, impressive amateur videos and reconstructions of past disasters, this captivating 52’ directed by Pascal Guérin and co-produced by ZED, ARTE and CuriosityStream, unveils tsunamis’ complex mechanics in an attempt to predict the future ones.
Far from a catastrophic scenario, this film looks at the solutions that exist to better anticipate the future. By exploring the approach of the Tsunami specialists, and by staging knowledge and popularization with a strong visual ambition, it’s this message of hope we want to carry,” added Preljocaj.
Tsunamis: Facing a Global Threat has already been sold in many territories, including Australia, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Ireland, the Czech Republic and Italian-speaking Switzerland.
The post ZED launches two flagship programmes to raise awareness about the planet; announces sales appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
DreamWorks Animation has announced season five of the award-winning animated series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the popular series with empowered characters brought to life by a diverse voice cast, an all-female writers’ room and a majority female crew, shared the release date and new poster.
In season five, the ruthless Horde Prime has arrived and without the Sword of Protection and She-Ra, the Rebellion are facing their toughest challenge yet. In this epic conclusion unexpected adversaries are confronted and relationships are tested, broken and changed forever. Will Adora and the Princesses of Power be able to save their planet? Or will the universe succumb to the evil might of Horde Prime before love can conquer hate?
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power features the voice talents of Aimee Carrero (Young and Hungry) as Adora/She-Ra, Karen Fukuhara (The Boys) as Glimmer, AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs) as Catra, Marcus Scribner (black-ish) as Bow, Lauren Ash (Superstore) as Scorpia, Reshma Shetty (Royal Pains) as Angella, Michalka (Orange is the New Black) as Shadow Weaver, Keston John (The Good Place) as Hordak, Christine Woods (Hello Ladies) as Entrapta, Genesis Rodriguez (Time After Time) as Perfuma, Jordan Fisher (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before 2) as Seahawk, Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Mermista, Merit Leighton (Alexa and Katie) as Frosta, Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) as Castaspella, and Krystal Joy Brown (Motown: The Musical) as Netossa.
Executive produced by Noelle Stevenson, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power will premiere 15 May on Netflix.
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Mar
18
Perched on the most watched charts on Netflix, Witcher is easily one of the most stunning series’ in the OTT space. While some admire the series for its storytelling it, many of us have already binged on it for its spectacular imagery and fictional characters. Captivating around a million minds, the monsters in the famed series have become a subject of curiosity and wonder. Recently Cinesite, one of the top VFX studios associated with the project revealed the much-anticipated VFX breakdown and the monster in the beginning of the series became the major highlight.
Dubbed as a legendary creature,Kikimora is a female house spirit in Slavic mythology. Her role in the house is usually juxtaposed with that of the domovoy, whereas one of them is considered a “bad” spirit, and the other, a “good” one.a female house spirit in Slavic mythology. Her role in the house is usually juxtaposed with that of the domovoy, whereas one of them is considered a “bad” spirit, and the other, a “good” one.
Senior creature modeller Mikkel Frandsen who has worked across many major studios recently shared on his Linkedin account, “Cinesite created a making of the Witcher reel, featuring kikimora that I sculpted and designed for the show! Check it out with volume up.”
The Witcher is an American fantasy drama series produced by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. It is based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as “the Continent”, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia and princess Ciri, who are linked by destiny to each other. It stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan. The show initially follows the three main protagonists at different points of time, exploring formative events that shaped their characters, before eventually merging into a single timeline.
We can’t wait for the next season the hit the OTT giant. Stay tuned!
The post Cinesite releases VFX breakdown of Witcher, Kikimora creature stands out appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
Karadi Tales wins ‘The Audiobook Publisher of the Year’ at the London Book Fair Excellence Awards
Posted in: Animation
Indian publishing house and kids content company, Karadi Tales has been awarded ‘The Audiobook Publisher of the Year’ by the London Book Fair Excellence Awards. It was also shortlisted for The Education Initiative Award and The Educational Learning Resources Award.
Karadi Tales were also the producers for the Indian animated feature film, Goopi Gawaiyaa Bagha Bajaiyaa (GGBB).
Karadi Tales is known for its books, audio books and edutainment videos on YouTube. Since the launch of the first audio book title in 1996, many of their titles have sold more than 100,000 copies and most titles have sold at least 20,000 copies. Presently, Karadi Tales have over one hundred titles spanning their catalogue and many more in production.
Karadi Tales along with the educational firm Karadi Path, had been shortlisted for three London Book Fair International Excellence Awards this year. The awards, which are in their sixth edition, are held by the London Book Fair in partnership with the UK Publishers Association.
Shares Karadi Tales co-founder Narayan Parashuram, “We had been nominated for the LBF Audiobook Publisher award last year too. This year we were not only nominated again in this category, but winning it. Winning ‘The Audiobook Publisher of the Year’ was an icing to the cake, especially since institutions like Penguin and Random House too were in the fray. However, the greatest validation for us will always be the love and support of countless parents and children who have embraced Karadi into their lives. That we sell as much if not more today, the audiobooks we created 25 years ago, is the greatest blessing. We may have won this publishing award, but we do not look at ourselves as a mere book publishing house – we are in the business of storytelling in the legacy of the 3000 year old tradition of our coC.”
Narayan Parasuram
Karadi Tales was started in 1996 by a group of writers, educators and musicians to create a space for Indian culture in the world of children’s publishing. Their journey began with audiobooks in the form of cassettes that consisted of stories from Indian folklore, narrated by master storytellers like Girish Karnad, Usha Uthup, Gulzar, Naseeruddin Shah, Saeed Jaffery and others.
Their range of picture books for children features authors and illustrators of international repute, and have been published in Korean, Portugese, Japanese, Spanish, German and Chinese languages.
In 1999, they were the ones to create India’s first animated music video, Bandar Bindaas Bandar. Karadi Tales also composed the music for the film Jajantaram Mamantaram starring Javed Jaffrey.
“Karadi Tales was born out of a need for high-quality children’s audiobooks in India. We believe in setting the bar high, be it with music, narration, art or writing, and are thrilled to have won the award. When we began 24 years ago with no publishing background, we just wanted to create the kind of books our own children wanted, and it’s a wonderful feeling to know that our contribution is continuing to make a difference,” adds Karadi Tales co-founder and publishing director Shobha Viswanath.
The kids content company also produces animated episodes and are now in the third season. Their animated feature, Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya (GGBB) directed by Shilpa Ranade, released across 120 screens, the largest ever release for an independent Indian animation film. In fact, it’s going to be streaming soon on an Indian OTT platform, though no names have been disclosed yet by the Karadi Tales team.
Over the years, Karadi Tales’ viewership and subscriber numbers have increased significantly. And now with the world being in semi-lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Karadi Tales has witnessed a spike in viewership, online sales and digital content consumption. Karadi Tales has almost 23K subscribers on YouTube.
“We come from a land with a long history of storytelling. Karadi Tales uses the aural and visual traditions of India to create a powerful storytelling experience for children. We started off with two audiobook titles selling across 10 stores in India. Today we have over 200 titles, not merely selling in retail and online stores, but as part of the Karadi Path program in over 3600 schools in India. Karadi Tales tells stories to over two lakh children in India, every week. While our numbers have been good, we pray for the wellbeing of children, parents and fellow humans across the planet,” concludes Parasuram.
The post Karadi Tales wins ‘The Audiobook Publisher of the Year’ at the London Book Fair Excellence Awards appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
Are you home isolating yourselves, following government orders and avoiding travel, working from home or taking a break completely? Done with the over hampering of news and tired getting panic? So am I. Working from home gives us all a lot more time to people in Mumbai for sure. No boarding of crowded local trains, no sweaty journeys, no listening to gossip, our mind is finally at peace- only if you are not rigorously checking the news. Worry not, to keep your mind occupied and stress-free, here are a few animated movies you can watch.
Incredibles 2
Pixar has never left any stone unturned to make a movie as relatable as it could. Though a fantasy, superhero film, Incredibles 2 manages to hook viewers with the little but important moments in our lives that are so well depicted in the film. The sequel shows the failure of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl to stop the super villain despite their efforts. As a result, the government is forced to cut the funclose superhero relocation program. Helen goes on a mission to stop the villain, whereas, Me. Incredible (Bob) struggles with babysitting his kids. It’s all about family and how together they can do some incredible tasks.
Why watch:
With the necessity of home-stay in recent times, we are spending quite a lot of time with our families. The movie will make you realise your family’s importance. And of course, watch it for brilliant dialogues, on-point sequences and detailed animation – what else do you need on a midweek day at home.
Available on: Hotstar
Up
Disney’s brilliant work till date and one of my most favourites, Up is a heartwarming tale of hope and love. Pixar’s classic hero Carl Fredricksen, a balloon salesman in his late 70s who lives alone after the death of his wife Ellie. The animation starts back in time, with Ellie and Carl meeting as wide-eyed, button-nosed children dreaming of exploration as they soar across the wilderness of their imaginary worlds in matching aviator goggles. The two grow up, fall in love, get married and build a home together like any normal love story. With sad moments, losing a partner and going on with life alone, Pixar touches our heart with reality and not just happily ever after.
Why watch:
Beautiful storyline, undoubtedly good animation and living the dream of reaching the sky with Carl’s helium balloon tied home. The movie is uplifting literally. A must watch if you are searching for some joyous moments everyday.
Available on: Hotstar
Brave
Brave revolves around Merida, a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor. Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late. Pixar has delivered a rousing melodrama set in fantasy medieval Scotland. The movie imagines lead characters with hugely conflicting objectives.
Why watch:
Brave is a great mother-daughter tale. It’s not just a warrior princess story, but a lot more. Pixar has beautifully told the story, with a required amount of humour, fun and insight. Great, great animation.
Available on: Netflix
Tangled
Tangled is a story retold from the old classic, Rapunzel. When the kingdom’s most wanted-and most charming-bandit Flynn Rider hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel, a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. The story is about Rapunzel finding her destination and love.
Why watch:
This film is not different from any other Disney princess classic. It just differs in animation, beautiful animation. Watch it for a lot of puns, on-point humour and the feel good factor when Rapunzel unites with her family. Also, not to forget some seriously dreamy sequences Disney have shown, that will make you fall in love-with your dear one and yourself.
Available on: Netflix
Wonder Park
Wonder Park tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive. One magical day, June is running through the woods to find her way home where she discovers an old roller coaster car and climbs inside. She suddenly finds herself in Wonderland, an amusement park she had created in her mind and put aside. All of her rides and characters are brought to life but are falling into disarray without her. With the help of her fun and lovable park characters, June puts the wonder back in Wonderland before it is lost forever.
Why watch:
The magical movie takes us all on a wondrous ride and down the memory lane. The movie with its witty dialogues and sequences makes us realise how busy we have become and how far we have reached from ourselves. It’s a movie to rediscover the child in you. A perfect watch while you are enjoying some quiet time with your family and yourself. Bring back the child in you!
Available on: Amazon Prime Video
So, social distancing is not that bad actually. Self-care, me-time, no crowds, more work getting done; this distancing has all its perks. Maybe this will turn out a habit and we will start loving it more. What movies are you guys watching, let us know if there are some exciting ones I need to add to this list. Binge watching is on! Oh, but let it not hamper your work from home mode!
The post Here are some animated movies to raise your hope #WhenAtHome appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Mar
18
The coronavirus fear is knocking all around and self-quarantine, in most cases, is the only option left for people to stay protected. Games Now! spearheaded by Aalto University professor Dr. Annakaisa Kultima, will be launching an Online Game Jam starting from 23 March to 30 March 2020 and they might transform their annual physical game jam event scheduled for May into an online one as well.
Why online game jams?
Today,due to Coronavirus outbreak all social meetings/ events are been cancelled including game jams as mostly everyone is sheltered behind four walls to stay protected from infection. Therefore organisers from around the world are trying to organise events/ launches/ exhibitions online to continue the businesses.
Game jams are common across the globe, where a bunch of developers get together and create a game within a designated time, often around a single theme. There has always been a window for online game jams as developers, artists from all around the world can participate, collaborate and create games but the current scene will spike the rate of online game jams. In conversation with AnimationXpress Aalto University, Finland game designing student Abhishek Jaiswal and associated with Games Now! shared “We usually have a fair mix of online and physical events. Most of our events have an online component to it. For example, the lectures that we organize every month where professionals from the gaming industry-speak, are also live-streamed. We also have a Twitch talk show that we organize from time to time.
He further confirms that the game jam that they are organising next week was anyway supposed to be an online event and the “GamesNow!” Game Jam that they organise annually is a physical game jam in May.
Games Now! organises open lecture series at the Aalto University in Finland and others where they run events, exhibitions and various get-togethers and they organise this online game jam event every year. Apart from that they also organise annual physical Game Jam event in May but due to coronavirus outbreak, they are planning to shift it into an online format. He shared, “due to the current situation we might have to shift it to an online event. We are taking every precaution necessary and so we have cancelled the upcoming lectures as well to avoid risk. It is true that all events and physical meetings have been cancelled and that is where online game jams truly shine.”
The world is almost at the lockdown phase however the wish of game creators to create games cannot be terminated. “While you are in quarantine/self-quarantine, you can still work on the games from home while collaborating with others over our Discord channel or other social media platforms. You can make a game from home. Safe and fun. That is how online game jam works usually, and current affairs are more than suitable for such online community events,” said Jaiswal.
How GN’s Online Game Jam is happening?
The online game jam will begin and end with a talk show which will include industry veteran developers and will be streamed on Twitch. Abhishek Jaiswal who is associated with Games Now! announced in an official post that “Our first developer guest is Samuli Jääskeläinen from Varjo!”
Highlighted an official GN post that Samuli has been an active game jammer since 2012. He has extensive understanding of the game jam scene and been traveling to many countries participating in various jams. GN is looking forward to chat with him about game jams in general as well as the design constraint, and games he has picked!
“The Games Now! Online Jam is a part of an ongoing research project at Aalto University in Finland, tackling the issue of how online game jam with a Twitch show can be utilised in university teaching. For the purposes of the study, all jammers participating in the jam are asked to fill in a short survey after submitting their game. Participating in the survey is voluntary and anonymous. Submitted games will also be analyzed for the study. The collected data is not used in any commercial purposes, will be stored in an appropriate manner and will only be handled by the Games Now! Research team,” said the post.
Other Online Game Jams
They are many more online game jams that are happening right now. Here are few:
- “Quarantine Jam”,is one of the events was ideated by Andrea Di Bartolo, a 3D artist, and developer from CyberLab Studios. Says he, “I was at home, here in Italy the government declared a total lockdown for the country, so I started thinking about what can we do safely from home to keep people busy and entertained. Then I had an idea – a game jam!”.
- Bratislava Game Jam Session: Stay Home Edition is a week-long remote-only game jam, where people gather online, share knowledge and build things. The topic of the session is games for kids during the quarantine. Where jammers can stay home safely with a computer or other favourite tools, may dream and design their own little game, and show it to other fellow game designers in the virtual world. The official post says, “Let’s help ourselves, parents and poor bored kids which must already be overwhelmed with traditional video games. Bring some fairytales into this misery!”
- TriJams in association with Rocketnight Studios, is a three hours only game jam where the goal of the creator is to create playable and fun prototype games, so far they have done 6o jams. Trijams take place every weekend, their theme is chosen by the community by a strawpoll and RocknightStudios livestream playtesting the games on Wednesday following the jam.
- NovaKnight531 who has been part of quarantine jam sought out to make a new jam Stay Safe Jam with the same concept. This event is about making a game, in the time span of three days, to stay safe, happy and productive during this weekend. The official post says “the peculiar philosophy of this jam is we strongly encourage team members to collaborate remotely, minimizing physical encounters.”
- Stay At Home Game Jam is another game jam that promotes staying at home safely and from anywhere with any level of expertise, one can create games. The theme will be unveiling some hours before the start of the jam however it is not fixed.
The post All you need to know about online game jams happening now! appeared first on AnimationXpress.
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